The Barwon Bulletin - May 6 2026
THE BARWON BULLETIN
The official noticeboard for AFL Barwon Club Officials & Volunteers.
To receive email notifications of the Barwon Bulletin, please contact
EDITION 77
MAY 6, 2026
(LAST UPDATED - May 6, 2026)
(Umpire appointments are updated Thursday 4pm)
AFL Barwon Indigenous Round
As we approach AFL Barwon Indigenous Round, we proudly acknowledge and celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within our football and netball communities.
This round provides an important opportunity for all clubs to come together in respect and recognition of indigenous culture, both on and off the field.
To support coordination and ensure we can appropriately recognise and share the great work happening across our competition, we ask all clubs to please advise AFL Barwon if you are planning any cultural ceremonies or if your teams will be wearing culturally designed guernseys, dresses, or other apparel during Indigenous Round.
Please forward all relevant details to Sean Atkinson at AFL Barwon as soon as possible so we can help promote and support your club’s involvement.
The following link provides some ideas of ways clubs can support the round.
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AFL Barwon Indigenous Round
11th - 17th May
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Mental Health Round
19th - 21st June
National Volunteer Week (NVW) Planning: May 18-24
NVW is a great opportunity for clubs & leagues to celebrate volunteers in a meaningful way.
e.g. Plan for daily volunteer celebrations on socials. Clubs plan how to make Volunteers the ‘VIPs’ for a match day (where players take the reins & volunteers put their feet up).
Junior volunteers run through player guard of honour & a banner and are thanked on ground. Each club nominates 4+ volunteers in the National Awards.
Get someone new to shadow each role to help with on-the-job learning. etc.
Action:Clubs start planning now.
Links to support or attract Volunteers found here - https://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/get-involved/nationalvolunteerweek/
https://play.afl/clubhelp/resources/volunteer-recruitment-tips#article-0
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2025-2026 Volunteer Grants (Federal Government)
Grants of $1,000 - $5,000 will be available to assist eligible not-for-profit clubs that rely on volunteers.
Grants can be used to purchase a range of items & activities as specified in the Grant Opportunity Guidelines.
e.g. phone bills, tablets, AV equipment, internet costs, software, program costs addressing gender disadvantage, racism, wellbeing etc. ~ $66k per Federal electorate across the State.
Action: Clubs should contact their local Federal MP for more information on the application process and closing date.
More info here:
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Governance & Volunteer Recruitment Online Workshop
The City of Greater Geelong, in partnership with Leisure Networks, is hosting an online workshop to support local sports clubs.
Join Leisure Networks as they guide clubs through practical strategies to help build strong governance and attract, support and retain volunteers.
You’ll learn about:
- Roles and responsibilities of effective club governance
- How to recruit and keep volunteer engaged
- Practical tools to support a sustainable club
This workshop is designed to provide clubs with clear, practical ideas they can take away and apply straight away.
Details:
- Wednesday 13th May 2026
- 00pm-6.30pm
- Online format
Any enquiries can be sent to
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Netball Vic Coaching Courses
Senior Football
Selected Team Entry Reminder
Selected Team Entry Reminder - Senior Men’s and Senior Female Football
A reminder to all clubs that selected teams for Senior Men’s and Senior Female football must be entered into the PlayHQ database by 8:00pm each Thursday night.
Clubs are required to include:
- Playing positions for 18 starting players
- 4 interchange players
- Up to 3 emergencies
Accurate and timely team submissions help enhance coverage and visibility across our media partners and provide greater exposure for your players and club.
Football Umpiring
What is the White Card Policy?
The primary objective of the AFL Barwon White Card Policy is to ensure the well-being and safety of everyone involved in the game through the implementation of a structured approach to address unacceptable behaviour directed at umpires from the coaching box area.
At the heart of the policy lies a three-phase system designed to address instances of unacceptable behaviour promptly and effectively. This system provides field umpires with the necessary tools to intervene in real-time, with warnings (white cards) issued to offending coaches during the first two phases and escalating penalties for repeated infractions. The ultimate sanction, a red card resulting in ejection from the match, underscores the seriousness of any breaches of conduct.
Field umpires are empowered to implement the appropriate phase of the policy upon observing or hearing unacceptable behaviour from the coaching box area. Importantly, the process is characterised by clarity and decisiveness, with umpires instructed not to engage in conversation or debate during card issuance. By adhering to these procedures, AFL Barwon aims to maintain order and always uphold the integrity of the game.
Instances of white and red card issuance are recorded by timekeepers and documented in umpire match reports for further review if necessary. Cases involving breaches of the policy are subject to scrutiny by the Match Review Panel (MRP), ensuring that any disciplinary action taken is fair and consistent with the values of the organisation.
Resource Links
General Netball
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Netball Live Stream Schedule
Please see the below link to the club live stream schedule for the 2026 season.
Clubs are reminded that the cameras need to be picked up from the office each week by the home club.
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Netball Operations Intern - Work Experience Overview – AFL Barwon
We are excited to welcome work experience participants into our team and provide a valuable learning and development experience. Our program is designed to give students or recent graduates real-world exposure to the operations of a dynamic organisation, hands-on opportunities to contribute, and the ability to explore different areas of our business.
What We Offer
As part of your time with us, you’ll gain hands-on experience working alongside a passionate and experienced team, allowing you to contribute meaningfully to our day-to-day operations. You’ll also gain insight into all areas of the business, including (but not limited to)
- Operations and Administration
- Events and Competitions
- Community Engagement
- Governance and Compliance
Please click here for the position description and for more information.
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Teams with ‘No-photo’ Consent
Please see below a list of teams that to date (April 28), contain players who do not consent to the use of photos.
This list does not mean you cannot take photos when playing these teams, but when completing the required photography form to gain consent, you must work with these clubs to identify the players who do not consent to their photo being captured/used, and honour the player’s consent status.
You can find the photography permission form on the Netball Resources page, or linked HERE.
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Best Players & E-scoring
A reminder to all BFNL and GFNL contacts that it is a requirement that ALL A GRADE MATCHES are live scored. We have seen that there were a number of games over the weekend that were not live scored.
A reminder that:
- E-scoring admins can be granted access via the admin site
- na.score.playhq.com is the correct URL – sometimes people end up on the cricket scoring site, which won’t work.
- You create a pin each time you start a session – this can be the same or different for each week. You need to remember this pin to finalise the scoring session.
This is in addition to the formal scoring process, which must still be undertaken and is the official documentation.
Best Players
A number of clubs across ALL grades have not been selecting their best players. This is a requirement for our media partners, and as such require all teams to complete this step.
On our updated position tracking templates, there is room for this at the bottom of the page. Please ensure you are recording this and entering on PlayHQ
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Resources
In addition to the above key items, there are several resources available via the AFL Barwon Netball Resources page that may be helpful for you. Please ensure you review these if there is anything you are unclear about, or keep them printed by the scorebench.
Please visithttps://aflbarwon.com.au/netball-resources for all information.
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Netball Connect Checks
Registration cross checking between PlayHQ and Netball Connect will be sent out to clubs next week. Please ensure you are registering your players across both platforms.
Penalties as outlined in the AFL Barwon by-laws may apply.
Junior / Midweek Netball
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Midweek Netball Information
Our midweek competition has commenced!
The venues we will be using for our midweek competition can be found below:
- Kardinia Park (Tuesday and Friday)
- Shell Road Reserve (Tuesday and Friday)
- Grinter Reserve (Friday)
- Richmond Oval (East Geelong FNC- Tuesday)
- Lara Recreation Reserve (Friday)
- Leopold Memorial Reserve (Tuesday)
The first two weeks of the grading fixture have been released and are available on the PlayHQ public website.
These fixtures have been developed based on the proposed grades submitted by each club during the team entry process.
Grading will take place for four weeks and fixtures will be created and released accordingly with clubs notified when new fixtures are available.
A reminder to all participants that as per AFL Barwon’s bylaws and competition rules that all players must be registered before taking the court.
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Scoring Resources
Please see below an example scoresheet and position tracking document that may support your volunteers ahead of their scoring duties
Netball Umpiring
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Netball Game Management Education Sessions – Action Required
AFL Barwon will be delivering an education session on a collaborative approach to the delivery and process of game management that incorporates input from both coaches and umpires to support the game. This session will be presented by Umpires/Umpire Coaches within the high performance pathway.
We are excited to deliver these sessions broadly for a second year in a row.
UMPIRES
Tuesday 5 May, 6:15pm - Kardinia Park Netball Complex.
Aim at badged individuals umpiring 17&U Div1 and above grades.
Clubs are expected to have 2 people attend.
COACHES
Tuesday 12 May, 6:15pm - AFL Barwon Highton Reserve.
Aim at individuals coaching 17&U Div1 and above grades.
Clubs are expected to have 2 people attend.
Please complete a separate form for each person attending. -
Club Umpire Coordinators Reminder – Weekly Rosters
Reminder to send through your umpire rosters weekly to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. assist in providing mentoring opportunities for your club umpires. -
If they’re wearing green, they’re Under 18!!
Please be reminded of the statewide ‘If they’re wearing green, they’re under 18’ umpiring initiative!
Our underage umpires will be out in force with both leagues commencing this weekend, and whileNO umpire deserves to be abused ordisrespected– there is absolutely no place in our competitions for disrespect of our underage umpires.
Don’t be a by-stander if this occurs – please stand up and support our umpires, and advise AFL Barwon of any instances whereby this occurs.
If you club needs additional wristbands please reach out to
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Resource Links
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Women & Girls Community Football Charter – AFL Vic
AFL Barwon is committed to ensuring community football environments are welcoming, safe, and inclusive for women & girls.
Female football participation across the region is entering an exciting growth phase, with new opportunities emerging for clubs supporting women and girls. The Women and Girls Community Football Charter encourages clubs, leagues, and umpire groups to create inclusive, safe, and welcoming environments, guided by four principles: opportunity, visibility, access, and investment.
Clubs can easily become signatories by submitting an expression of interest and completing a short action plan with support from the state body. Benefits include access to grants, ongoing updates, recognition, and promotional resources. As momentum builds, embracing women and girls in football is strengthening club culture and fostering a unified “one club” environment.
Further information and to register your clubs EOI found here
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Football Coach Developers – AFL Vic
AFL Victoria provides a free Coach Developer network to support community clubs with mentoring, training session observation, and tailored education focusing on player-centred environments. These developers work directly with local coaches, particularly in junior football, to improve training structures and game-day coaching behaviours, AFL Barwon have assigned local AFL Victoria coach developers who are more than happy to provide coach education at your club. Enquires can be directed to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Check out these handy coaching resources packed full of videos to support coaches in our region
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Benefits of AFL Victoria affiliation
AFL Victoria operates to oversees 115 leagues and 1,942 clubs, acting as the peak governing body for community football in Victoria. It governs affiliations for regional leagues, metropolitan leagues, and VFL/VFLW competitions, enforcing regulations regarding club transfers, player eligibility, and community club sustainability. Please find details around the benefits associated with being an AFL Victoria affiliated club and an AFL Victoria organisational chart.
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Bunnings Legend of the Tongs
Bunnings Legend of the Tongs is back for 2026! Clubs can nominate their legends for the chance to win weekly prize packs. Plus, a chance to win a trip for two to attend the AFL Footy Festival & 2026 Toyota AFL Grand Final, and an additional $25,000 in Bunnings products & materials for the club.
Competition closes: 16 August 2026.
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AAMI: Clangers for Good AAMI Clangers for Good is back for 2026!
Packed flippers instead of your footy boots? Clangers happen! Clangers could win someone or their club a share in $250,000. Simply tell AAMI how they can help. This is their biggest prize pool ever and is available to local clubs and footy fans.
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Toyota Good for Footy Raffle
The Toyota Good for Footy Raffle is back for 2026! Starting Friday 10 April and running through to Monday 21 of September. zero-cost, hassle-free fundraising, 100% of the proceeds go directly back into your clubs. Last year Toyota helped raise an incredible $1,173,270 for 837 clubs nationwide. A club in the Northern FNL has already raised $6,125.00 12 days since the raffle opened! Major prizes include Toyota vehicles, unforgettable footy experiences, and more!
For those clubs that want to sharpen up strategies on raising money for the Toyota Good for Footy Raffle, an online masterclass is being held on Monday 4th May 7pm-8pm to support your club.
Please follow the link below to register.
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AFL Vic Sit down to coach round
AFL Victoria are pleased to confirm the dates for the proposed Sit Down to Coach Round across Victoria.
As we look to tackle the challenges of Coach Behaviour on Match Day and help create better environments for all participants in our sport, players, umpires, volunteers and spectators, Sit Down Round will be hosted across Victoria for the first time on Saturday 16 May and Sunday 17 May.
On this weekend, Coaches and additional people in the coaches box (i.e. Runners, Trainers and Assistant Coaches) will be asked to sit down to coach. This comes off the back of incredible success in South Australia through the SANFL Junior competition where they have seen much improved results in umpire ratings of coaches behaviour on match day, reducing the ‘poor ratings’ (1 or 2 out of 5) from 165 in season 2023 before Sit Down Round was introduced to now 45 poor ratings in 2025 when Sit Down round was implemented every week throughout their season
Any club (playing a home game that round) wishing to champion this great initiative, please reach out to AFL Barwon Club Development Lead – Tim Secombe –
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